‘This vulnerability undermines the Skilled Trades Stream’s ability to meet the immediate labour market needs of the province’
Ontario has suspended its fast-track immigration stream for skilled tradespeople, cancelling all current applications and leaving thousands of candidates uncertain about their future in the province.
This comes after an internal review recently “identified systemic misrepresentation and/or fraud,” according to the provincial government.
“These issues affect the ability of the director appointed under the Ontario Immigration Act, 2015 (Director) to determine whether applicants meet eligibility criteria,” says the provincial government.
“As currently structured, the Skilled Trades Stream is vulnerable to systemic misrepresentation and/or fraud. This vulnerability undermines the Skilled Trades Stream’s ability to meet the immediate labour market needs of the province, taking into account Ontario’s limited nomination allocation.”
Ontario has suspended receiving Skilled Trades Stream applications and will return all outstanding Skilled Trades Stream applications.
Emails sent to skilled trades candidates
Candidates also received an email from the Ministry notifying them that their applications had been terminated, according to a report from The Globe and Mail.
All candidates with outstanding applications will be refunded their fees, and those eligible for other OINP streams may reapply. Successful applicants who have already received permanent residency are not affected by the suspension, according to the Ontario government.
The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) has been a key tool for employers seeking to fill critical labour shortages, allowing the province to nominate foreign workers for permanent residency based on in-demand skills, notes the publication. OINP allows the province to nominate individuals for permanent residence who have the skills and experience that will contribute to Ontario’s economy. The federal government makes the final decision on reviewing and approving applications for permanent residence.
Last year, Ontario nominated roughly 4,100 candidates through its skilled worker stream, with the Ministry of Labour previously describing the OINP as “the best tool the province has” to address job gaps. The province has projected a need for 100,000 skilled tradespeople over the next decade to meet infrastructure demands, The Globe and Mail reported.
Applicants frustrated by OINP
Following the change, skilled trade applicants have been protesting outside the Ministry of Labour and Queen’s Park, saying they were blindsided by the new policy.
“After giving false hope to everybody, they suddenly revoke everything,” said Jagjeet Singh, who told The Globe and Mail he had been waiting two years for approval after being invited to apply by the Ministry.
"I have burned out all my savings in this waiting period," Ankit Patel, 28, told the CBC. In October 2024, with just three months left on his work permit, Patel applied to OINP for permanent residency status. “Now they’ve ended the whole stream without checking who is genuine and who is not.”
His application was listed as "in status" in January 2025, when he had to stop working because his work visa had expired.
"Nomination in this program was my last hope," he said, according to the report.
Despite the applicants’ sentiments, Ontario had to do something to address the widespread fraud in the program, Manan Gupta, a regulated immigration consultant, said.
"Fraud in this program has been happening across the country, from coast to coast," he said in the CBC report. “It’s becoming challenging not just for people in Ontario, but everywhere else too," said Gupta. "There are more than one million applicants — the pool is too big."
Previously, the Ontario government introduced new compliance and enforcement-related measures for the OINP. These include authority to require greater accountability and transparency between immigration representatives, employers, and newcomers who are applying to the program.
